BBC Sport looks at the reer of Mike Bttler, Formula 1's only known gay male driver, and his impact on today's LGBT+ motorsport muny.
Contents:
- LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: MIKE BTTLER - FORMULA 1'S ONLY KNOWN GAY MALE DRIVER
- GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS IN 2022
- F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER - SEBASTIAN VETTEL
- VETTEL: A GAY FORMULA ONE DRIVER WOULD BE WELED
- GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS 2021
- ARE THERE ANY GAY F1 DRIVERS?
- PETROV: IF AN F1 DRIVER OUT AS GAY, WILL THEY URGE EVERYONE ELSE TO BEE GAY?
- F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER, SAYS VETTEL
- VETTEL: F1 IS READY FOR AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER
- FORMULA 1 READY TO WELE A GAY DRIVER – VETTEL
- VETTEL: A GAY FORMULA 1 DRIVER WOULD BE WELED
LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: MIKE BTTLER - FORMULA 1'S ONLY KNOWN GAY MALE DRIVER
* formule 1 gay *
Bttler remas the only known gay male driver to have peted at the hight level of did so at a time when F1 was an pecially macho environment.
GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS IN 2022
As we return to racg after the Northern Hemisphere's summer break 's time to give you Gay Natn's Hottt Formula One Drivers of 2022. * formule 1 gay *
"I knew he was gay, but didn't matter my world.
F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER - SEBASTIAN VETTEL
Formula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four-time world champn Sebastian Vettel. * formule 1 gay *
"The racg world of the 2020s is a very different place to that of the Bishop, a Racg Pri ambassador and Aston Mart F1 chief munitns officer, said: "In the early 1970s, people didn't talk about beg gay. "In the Uned Kgdom, was only 1967 that homosexualy was legalised between two nsentg adults private. Overall, he sred five top-10 fish his then the UK was plunged to fancial turmoil by the 1973 oil crisis, and his team did not have the money to stay the 34, Bttler retired om Bradshaw, a motorsport PR nsultant who first met Bttler the early 1970s, said: "There was no stigma wh Mike, he was a nice gentle person - everyone knew he was gay, wasn't a secret and was accepted.
"I spect would have been easier for him to live the liftyle he wanted LA and San Francis, whereas beg gay London was a more secretive thg, " said Phillips. "'LGBT+ people have always been part of motorsport'Brr Endurance Champnship driver and Racg Pri -founr Richard Morris has had lots of support wh motorsport after g out as gay 2018Sce Bttler's ath, several motorsport drivers have e out as Mans class wner Danny Watts me out 2017, a year after retirg, while the W Seri there is LGBT+ reprentatn on track fellow Brish drivers Abbie Eaton and Sarah Moore. Richard Morris, -founr of Racg Pri and a driver for the Praga team the Brr Endurance Champnship, me out as gay 2018, when already tablished motorsport.
VETTEL: A GAY FORMULA ONE DRIVER WOULD BE WELED
F1 would "wele" a gay driver wh Sebastian Vettel sayg he really hop there isn't one already on the grid who feels he has to hi. * formule 1 gay *
Some people knew I was gay but I wasn't out - I thk that is very siar to Bttler's experience.
"If he was alive, he would have been terviewed about Sectn 28 and gay marriage.
"Sectn 28 was a law that affected England, Wal and Stland, passed 1988 by a Conservative ernment that stopped uncils and schools "promotg the teachg of the acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship" were mass protts by LGBT+ mpaigners and the law was repealed Stland 2000, before England and Wal did the same 2003.
GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS 2021
Formula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four tim world champn Sebastian Vettel. * formule 1 gay *
It took him ne more rac to get on the top step of the podium, but as you see he is still near the top of our Gay Natn rears podium at number two on our list of top F1 drivers. Is bee he has now been wh his girliend for a year (typil gays) or is that he has grown to a good-lookg mature young man who is drivg like a gun?
A prev player on our Gay Natn list, Alex Albon got dropped om F1 for 2021 after failed stts at Toro Ross and Red Bull but is now back and performg as well as n be expected at Williams. One of our most searched F1 drivers the past, mostly the search was “Is Albon Gay?
ARE THERE ANY GAY F1 DRIVERS?
Four-time World Champn Sebastian Vettel believ F1 is ready for an openly gay driver as he lls on the sport to act, not jt talk, about the important issu. * formule 1 gay *
The newt entrant to our Gay Natn list, as this, is his first year F1, but certaly worthy of a spot on our list after his performanc both on and off the track.
Are there gay F1 drivers?
I've been thkg about this topic for que some time but I realised that gay f1 drivers seem to e few and far between.
PETROV: IF AN F1 DRIVER OUT AS GAY, WILL THEY URGE EVERYONE ELSE TO BEE GAY?
1950s: 0 gay drivers 1960s: 0 gay drivers 1970s: 0 gay drivers 1980s: 0 gay drivers 1990s: 0 gay drivers 2000s: 1 gay driver (Jaime Alguersuari) Proof 2010s: 1 gay driver (Jaime Alguersuari) 2020s: 1 gay driver (Alex Albon). If we take to nsiratn the 2 gay drivers, Jaime Alguuari and Alex Albon.
003% chance of a Formula 1 driver beg gay.
F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER, SAYS VETTEL
003% of gay Formula 1 drivers (4x0. 93 people Formula 1 are gay which nfirms the sexualy of Alex Albon and Jaime Alguersuari.
Haton took aim at the state's recent anti-LGBTQ legislatn – cludg the so-lled "Don’t Say Gay" law backed and signed to law by Florida Gov.
VETTEL: F1 IS READY FOR AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER
FLORION GOGA/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagRtersJun 8, 2022, 03:54 PM ETFormula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four-time world champn Sebastian champnship, which started 1950, has had only male drivers on the startg grid sce 1976 but has ma a ph for diversy and cln wh teams showg support for the LGBTQ Mart driver Vettel last year wore a rabow-loured T shirt Hungary wh the msage "same love" to prott anti-LGBTQ+ 34-year-old father of three has also peted wh Racg Pri logos on his r. "Perhaps wouldn't have been the se the past, but now I thk a gay Formula One driver would be weled, and rightly so, " Vettel said an terview wh LGBTQ magaze Attu that featured him on s ver. "I feel that a gay driver would help to speed up the elimatn of prejudice and help ph our sport a better directn.
"Blackpool forward Jake Daniels last month beme the first active male profsnal player English football 32 years to announce he is gay. Sebastian Vettel feels Formula 1 would wele a gay driver, such has been the progrs wh the travellg circ. His activism earned him a spot on gay magaze Attu’s ont ver, the first F1 driver to feature on .
FORMULA 1 READY TO WELE A GAY DRIVER – VETTEL
He told the magaze that he believ Formula 1 has progrsed enough that would “wele” a gay driver.
“Perhaps that wouldn’t have been the se the past, ” he said, ” but now I thk a gay Formula One driver would be weled — and rightly so. “I feel that a gay driver would help to speed up the elimatn of prejudice and help ph our sport a better directn. So I do have hope, and therefore I would absolutely wele a gay Formula One driver.
Asked if he knew of anyone on the grid, past or prent, who was gay, he replied: “No, but I’m pretty sure there mt have been some.
VETTEL: A GAY FORMULA 1 DRIVER WOULD BE WELED
Are there or has been any gay drivers formula 1? I wonr if there are drivers wh a homosexual orientatn. Gay Natn fans love his style and after seeg his Netflix performance this year is assured we will see lots more of that personaly at Aston Mart 2021.
But have there been any openly gay Formula One drivers?